I'm starting to get interested in the revolutionary war period firearms. Just for the novelty really. I've heard a majority of what the Americans used during the revolution were what is known as Kentucky rifles. Where would be a good place to get a replica, that is still capable of firing? I just think it would be cool to have a firing black powder rifle in the collection.

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Our founding fathers started a revolution, for less bull sh*t than this.

To be ready, mentally and physically for what ever scenario arises, provides the best sleep at night I've ever gotten.

Actually, the majority of Americans in the Revolution used muskets as they were quicker to reload and had provisions for mounting a bayonet. Rifles were preferred on the frontier during that era, however.

What JN01 says is true. The Continental Army's employment of rifles was limited and the vast majority of the Continental Army was equipped with muskets.

However, the very first regiment raised by Congress, the First Pennsylvania, was a rifle regiment. After one year when their term of service expired, Washington asked Daniel Morgan to raise a smaller, 500 man rifle regiment with its ranks composed of riflemen detached from their parent regiments. They fought in New Jersey where they harassed the British retreat. Morgan's men went on to fame at Saratoga. With the exception of two companies protecting the Wyoming Valley in NY State, most of Morgan's men were afterward returned to their parent unit.

For a while there was no rifle unit in the Continental Army and many of the riflemen who fought were from the militia. Riflemen were instrumental at King's Mountain, Cowpens (as part of a combined arms team), the capture of Fort Sackville by George Rogers Clark, etc. Washington then had Major Parr raised a small battalion of riflemen who served in NY State. They were not present at Yorktown (note: a lot of this is covered in greater detail in Chapter 2 of the book).

Returning to the rifles of the Revolution, they generally had flatter buttplates than the sharp crescent shaped buttplates of the Federal Period. They could be relief carved like the one built by Wyosmith. The earlier rifles had sliding wood patch boxes but nearer the Revolution had metal patchbox lids. Unlike the later Federal Period (post-Constitution to about 1820s) rifles, inlays were not popular (at least the stock was not covered with inlays like some of the fancier Federal Period guns).

i would add to what Gary and JN01 said in that while the regulars carried muskets a lot of the militia also carried muskets or smoothbores in the form of either older military arms or even fowlers . In some cases the arms were a mix of parts and pieces that were refurbished and re issued . “see Board of ordinance guns of the American revolution” in the case of such guns , they often did not follow a given school of gun building but may have the stock of a fowler , with rifled bore , smoothbore and a mix of hardware from any number of different guns .

Riflemen , were a completely separate classification and while sometimes mixed in line units they were also most often deployed separately. The reason for that was that while a rifle was highly accurate , it loaded slower and thus would disrupt the volley fire capability of a line . In which case accuracy was of less importance then firing on mass . Especially concerning line formations . The rifle for the most part also didn’t have a way to mount the bayonet . Which next to the mounted cavalry charge was the most feared on the battle field when deployed by a highly trained front . Hence the innovation of the plug bayonet which frankly was useless
So while the British bayonet charge was greatly feared , the deployment of trained rifleman as a unit was as big a shock an AWWW to the British side especially the to officers and unit NCO’s .
thus for most of the revolution the rifle was for the most part of civilian make and of verying types and calibers . Excluding the later British deployment of Jaeger units , which deployed rifles distinctly different then our own long rifles , of standardized caliber and design .

Imo If your looking for a representation of a revolutionary piece , I would not look at Cabalas unless they had something along the lines of one of the better Pedersoli military representations , like the Bess , charlieville or Jaeger or a better original or custom build in their gun vault . but often for the cost they ask for such a gun , you could have Steve or any number of other gunsmiths make you one . at least come very close to the cost depending on what your looking for .
Defiantly nothing in the lines of a Traditions ,Blue ridge , investment arms or TC

The British issued 1,000 Pattern 1776 rifles to both Tory units and units of the British Army. One unit, the Queens Rangers (raised by Robert Rogers of Rogers' Rangers Fame) received 16 rifles; making them the first green jacketed riflemen in the British Army (the Royal Green Jackets were not pleased when I shared that bit of trivia with them).

De Witt Bailey's book, British Flintlock Rifles, has photographs of the Pattern 1776 as well as identifying the units that received them. Colonial Williamsburg had one on loan to their collection and the NY State Museum system has a reproduction which they used to bring out for Show 'n Tell. The fort I saw it at was closed for budgetary reasons so I don't know where it's at now.

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